I'm new here so be patient with me

[Longley]

As I said, I’m new here, but I’m not new to discussion boards or to the study of the federal government. A federation is both an advantage and a danger. In my opinion, it’s dangerous because there is always a tendency for a federation to drift toward an empire. Politicians love power, and they always want more of it.

Our founders were wise enough to design a system that makes it very difficult for any one person to accumulate enough power to become a tyrant. But that system depends on politicians respecting and adhering to the safeguards that were put in place—and on the people holding them to it.

So that is my introduction here. I’m the kind of poster who does not use insults or ridicule. I try to respect everyone’s opinion—whether I agree with it or not, whether I consider it serious or not—because in a democracy, everyone has the right to say what they think. They do not have the right to expect me to agree, but they do have the right to express their views. And they don’t always need evidence unless they are presenting something as a fact rather than as an opinion.